Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2011-12: Alexis Vanier skated for the College Charles-Lemoyne Riverains in Quebec in his first season of midget AAA hockey. He scored 4 goals with 10 assists and had 110 penalty minutes in 34 games. The Riverains finished fourth in the Reebok Division. Vanier was selected by Baie-Comeau in the first round (13th overall) of the 2012 QMJHL Entry Draft.

2012-13: Vanier made his QMJHL debut as a 16-year-old with Baie-Comeau. He had 8 assists and was +9 with 66 penalty minutes in 53 regular season games on a veteran Drakkar defense corps. Baie-Comeau finished first in the East Division and reached the QMJHL Finals against Memorial Cup champion Halifax. Vanier played in six of 18 playoff games; finishing with an even plus/minus, no points, and 2 penalty minutes.

2013-14: Vanier displayed an offensive component to his game in his second QMJHL season. He was scoring at a point-per-game pace for Baie-Comeau at the start of the year before tailing off after suffering a shoulder injury while skating for the QMJHL all-stars in the 2013 Subway Series against Russia in November. He scored 15 goals with 21 assists and was +11 with 52 penalty minutes in 61 games for the Drakkar; playing in his final game on March 14th at Chicoutimi and missing the playoffs due to the injury. Vanier was selected to play for Team Cherry in the 2014 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. He was ranked 112th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by San Jose in the fourth round (102nd overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.

2014-15: Vanier attended camp with the Sharks before returning to Baie-Comeau for his third QMJHL season. He skated in 29 games with the Drakkar before being acquired by the Sherbrooke Phoenix in a multi-player trade in December 2014. Vanier scored 4 goals with 7 assists and was -5 with 43 penalty minutes while with Baie-Comeau. He scored 1 goal with 10 assists and was +8 with 14 penalty minutes in 19 games with Sherbrooke. Vanier had his season cut short for the second straight year, undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery in February.

Talent Analysis

Vanier has impressive size and no hesitation to use it and demonstrated some offensive elements to his game as his junior career progressed. He has a thunderous point shot often finds the back of the net. Shoulder injuries have cut short his past two seasons prematurely and are a concern for a defender with his style of play. raw talent. As he continues to round out his game, one of the main areas he needs to improve is his mobility, specifically his first few steps. As with many bigger players one of the main areas he needs to improve is his mobility. He moves well when he reaches full speed but his first few steps lack quickness.

Future

Vanier enters his second training camp with the Sharks looking to earn an entry-level contract before returning to Sherbrooke for his fourth QMJHL season in 2015-16. He is a raw talent who continues to round out his game but his size and offensive instincts suggest some potential to one day skate at the NHL level if he can stay healthy.

Photo: San Jose prospect Alexis Vanier has pro-ready size and has scored some goals in his QMJHL career, but has work to do on his mobility if he wants a shot at the next level (courtesy of Francois Laplante/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images)

The San Jose Sharks have nine players playing in Canadian Junior Hockey during the 2015-16 season, and two playing in the USHL. This group of young players features some of the most promising and intriguing skaters in the prospect pool – including the team’s number one prospect, Timo Meier.

Photo: San Jose Sharks prospect Kevin Labanc has had an impressive second season with the Barrie Colts (courtesy of Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

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Photo: Tomas Hertl scored 25 points in 37 games with the San Jose Sharks in 2013-14, his rookie season. (courtesy of Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)

The San Jose Sharks offseason has been met with a great deal of criticism. Much has been said about general manager Doug Wilson and his idea of a rebuild. His self-described “tomorrow team” looks surprisingly similar to yesterday’s team. That is, until you look at all of the changes that happened within the prospect ranks.

Photo: Nikolay Goldobin, San Jose’s top pick at 27th overall, ranked seventh overall in OHL scoring with 94 points in 67 games for Sarnia in 2013-14 (courtesy of Derik Hamilton/Icon SMI)

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